This invention relates to the production of selectively reinforced titanium alloy articles, particularly alpha+beta and near alpha titanium alloy articles.
The development of high performance airframes and gas turbine engines requires components which exhibit a high stiffness-to-weight ratio together with fracture and fatigue resistance. Such requirements can be met using titanium alloy metal matrix composites (Ti-MMC). The fabrication of Ti-MMC is currently done by the tedious process of layering titanium alloy foils with mats of reinforcement fibers, then superplastic forming/diffusion bonding (SPF/DB) the layered assembly into a unitary article, or by spraying molten alloy or alloy powder onto fiber mats, then diffusion bonding multiple layers of the metallized mat into a unitary article. The complexity of manufacturing and the associated high costs prevent Ti-MMC from being extensively used in current generations of airframe components.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a novel method for producing selectively reinforced titanium alloy articles.
Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art.